Methods and apparatus of the background art for making cigarettes generally consist of a hopper section that feeds tobacco, and a rod forming section that wraps the tobacco with paper. As shown in background art apparatus 1 of FIG. 43, a porous belt 2, through which air is drawn, runs on two wheels 3, 4. For example, sectional views of the apparatus in FIG. 43 are shown in FIG. 43A-43L. As shown in FIG. 43, tobacco is fed to the porous belt 2 through a tobacco feed chamber 5. As the porous belt 2 passes over the chamber 5, a tobacco column 6 builds up on the porous belt 5 as shown from FIG. 43A to FIG. 43B.
The tobacco column 6 travels with the belt 5 and is contained by the front and rear rails 7, 8 as shown in FIG. 43A to FIG. 43C. In FIG. 43C the tobacco column feeds through two trimming discs 9, 10 where the column is trimmed to a specific weight/volume. The trimmed tobacco column 12 then passes under the left wheel 9 where it is scraped off the belt 5 by a scraper 11 as shown in FIG. 43D. At the same time, paper 13, which is pulled by a drive belt 14, is pulled under the trimmed tobacco column 12 by the rod forming section of the maker as shown in FIG. 43D.
The scraper 1, which is flat at it's entrance and concave at it's exit, forms the top of the tobacco column into a cylindrical shape, as shown in FIG. 43E. At the same time the paper 13 and drive belt 14 under the trimmed tobacco column 12 enter a garniture 15 that supports the drive belt 14 and paper 13. As the trimmed tobacco column 12 leaves the scraper 11 it passes under a tongue area 16 that maintains the cylindrical shape of the top of the trimmed tobacco column 12, as shown in FIG. 43F, As the trimmed tobacco column 12 travels through the tongue area 16 the drive belt 14 and paper 13 under the trimmed tobacco column 12 are formed by the garniture 15 around the trimmed tobacco column 12 to produce a cylindrical shape on the lower half of the column, as shown in FIG. 43F and FIG. 43G.
At this point the tobacco column has been transformed into a tobacco cylinder 20, as shown in FIG. 43H. Front and rear side rails/folders 17, 18 are attached to the garniture press on the drive belt 14 and keep the paper tight against the tobacco cylinder 20, as shown in FIG. 43G. As the tobacco cylinder 20 leaves the tongue 16 the rear folder 18 forces the drive belt 14 and paper 13 to wrap over the top of the tobacco cylinder 20, as shown in FIG. 43H. The tobacco cylinder 20 and paper 13 continue to travel down the garniture 15 and glue is applied by applicator 19 under the front edge of the paper, as shown in FIG. 43I. The front folder 17 then wraps the front edge of the paper 13 over the rear edge as the rear folder 18 releases the drive belt 14, as shown in FIG. 43J to FIG. 43L and provides a sealed tobacco rod 21.
However, there is a need in the art to provide a more efficient way than discussed above to provide a hollow passageway in the tobacco rod and a need for a method for producing a tobacco rod with a hollow passageway extending therethrough.